Heavy or bull barreled 20" 7mm-08 , who make them ?

M

Metal god

New member
I see another thread here asking about the 7mm-08 but did not want to high jack there thread cus the question is really not the same .

Who makes a the 7mm-08 in a 20" heavy or bull barrel ? I'm looking to get a semi long range precision rifle for target shooting . I'm hoping to get 1000yds from a 20" barrel with lower recoil . If I can push this bullet http://www.hornady.com/store/7mm-.284-162-GR-BTHP-Match/ with it's BC of .610 ,to a muzzle velocity of 2500fps out of a 20" barrel my ballistic calc says 1200yds would be doable . Heck 2400fps will get to 1k no problem . I really just started looking around for a rifle like this and really only come across sporter type barrels in this chambering .

This would be ideal if they came in 7mm-08 and cost $300 less
http://www.savagearms.com/firearms/model/10PRECISIONCARBINE

Any ideas ? I'd like the cost to be around $500 no more the $800 ( rifle only )

Thanks Metal
 
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Given your requirements: 7mm-08, heavy barrel, 20", I don't know anyone right off hand that makes that rifle.

So, it's up to you. You can build this rifle from one of any number of actions. I'd pick the Savage or Remington 700 simply because they're readily available in every pawn shop in the US. The beauty of this project is that you can build exactly what you want and take your time building it. Go to a used gun dealer and tell him what you're looking for. A donor action. Ask him what rifle he's got that hasn't moved. He probably has a surplus of something. I have picked up beater rifles for as little as $150.00 if I didn't care what the caliber, barrel, or stock looked like. They're all going in the trash bin, anyway. All I want is a good action.

My brother-in-law recently build one, a 7mm-08 with a 24" barrel (but he likes 24" barrels) on a Remington action. With the donor action, and a very good match barrel, he's got less than $1000.00 in the rifle, and I'd put it against most "precision" rifles that I see touted as such.

It sounds like a worthy build. So, start looking for a donor action. Don't get in a hurry and your action will come to you.
 
Remington 700 SPS Varmint if you can find one. Buds Gunshop has one every now and then. The barrel on them is 26" but you can always cut it to length. The SPS may as well be a donor barrelled action though, everything else on the rifle is crap.

700 SPS 7mm08 Varmint Cut to 20"
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Just my opinion but 1000 yards and 20" barrel don't go together. I have 7mm08 rifles in 20", 22", and 24" so I know what the velocity loss is from the shorter barrel and I would find it unacceptable if I were trying to make long range shots.
 
Stock rifles aren't likely to have the free-bore you want or twist rate to stabilize that bullet even if you found one.


Find yourself a used Savage at a dealer. They can be had for $400 or less, new. You could buy a brand new one from Buds, pay the transfer, sell the scope and barrel and be in it for $350.

Contact a custom barrel maker. As an example, my McGowen 24" stainless, fluted, 11dg crown, Shilen #2 profile barrel cost about $375. McGowen has a 26", 1:9 twist, stainless 7mm-08 in stock right now for $299. It's their own #5 profile, I don't know what that is exactly so you'd have to ask.
 
I have picked up beater rifles for as little as $150.00 if I didn't care what the caliber, barrel, or stock looked like. They're all going in the trash bin, anyway. All I want is a good action.
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So people throw rifles in the trash? I doubt it.
 
The parts you take off are "going in the trash", not the rifles. Most folks would try to sell the parts too but it's certainly not required.
 
ratshooter said:
So people throw rifles in the trash? I doubt it.
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You'd be surprised, but no, not the whole rifle. Just the bits that don't matter. Let's say that I picked up a beater Remington 700. Barrel shot out, rusted, just disgusting. Stock all beat to hell. So, I take the action out of the stock, and the stock's not worth saving. Toss the stock. When i take the barrel off, I see it's toast, not even good enough to use as a pry-bar. It goes in the bucket too.

What I'm left with is a fairly nice action that I can use for a project rifle. New stock, new barrel, and I can make it anything I want it to be.
 
I knew what you meant. I was just having fun with you.:eek:

I had an old stevens 22 auto that was missing the bolt. I did throw it in the trash. It wasn't worth the effort to try and find the parts to make it work. This was before there was an internet to do a search with.

My dad never threw anything away. Thats why I don't have a problem with it. Some things just ain't worth keeping.
 
Yeah I like the idea of a build . The problem with that is I have 2 AR builds I'm in the middle of . I guess like those when the right thing comes along for the right price I just pick it up .
 
I think the best advice you got was to buy a used varmint rifle with a long barrel and cut it down. But I would shoot it before I cut it. Is 4" of extra barrel really going to put a kink in your shooting?

I like the choice of using a 7-08. I like the round myself. I just have one now, a model 7 with the walnut stock and 18.5" barrel. Its not a thousand yard target gun. Its a 300 yard deer killer.
 
More and more shooters are shooting the 20" out to 1000 yds. The rigidity of the barrel outweighs the lack of velocity. My experience is mainly in .308 and .30-06 based calibers. For the 7mm-08, simply load a 140+ grain bullet to 2700 fps and go for it.
 
20" is small for a brush gun. You are better off with a high quality 24"-26"barrel for a bench gun. A professionally bedded barrel is most important.
 
You are better off with a high quality 24"-26"barrel for a bench gun.
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Got one . 308 Savage 24" heavy fluted barrel , I added about 2.5 to 3lbs to the butt stock , Rifle weighs 13lbs
lo69.jpg

guns141.jpg


I want a rifle under 10lbs maybe 9lbs with a heavy barrel for long range shooting . that's my plan any ways .:) I may be able to get that out of the 20" 308 with 155gr Palma smk . They have a BC of .510 and if I can push it to 2600fps they will stay super sonic out to 1k
 
Hey MG I am glad you found a rifle that meets your criteria. But in your first post you wanted a rifle to shoot a prefered bullet. Good thing you picked something else in a different caliber. Your prefered bullet has been "suspended" by Hornaday for the time being.

I did a search for a heavy barreled 7-08 and none were to be found. The Speer manual I have did their testing with a remington 700V with a 24" barrel. But no place I looked had one. I thought Ruger or howa might have a rifle close to what you were looking for but no luck at all.

Your new gun should be a real shooter. Of course a report will be needed.
 
No No I already had the Savage . I still want the short barreled 7mm-08 but was just re-thinking it . I was thinking a lighter 155gr 308 with high BC will do 1k from a 20" barrel . Because this is/will be a project gun . Who know what it will be .

I was just now looking at the 260 cartridge and if I can get 2450fps out of a 20" barrel the 260 will do 1k . I'm sure you guys are starting to see the pattern here . I want and will stay in the 308 parent case family . I already have a few 308s so I might as well stick with all the same brass . That way when things get sandy hook-ish again and I can't find 308 . I can just neck down my brass to a different caliber .

I wrote a thread a little while back about what ammo will be around when times get tough . That thread morphed into a couple different ideas . One of the ideas I liked a lot was stick with the same parent case family . Thats what I'm doing now , trying to decide what cartridge I want to use out of a 20" barrel for long-ish range . The more I look at the numbers though . It does not seem to really matter . I should be able to get all the above to shoot 1k out of a 20" barrel .

I should add just FWIW the reason I want this new rifle even though I have one that will do what I'm asking . I don't know about you guys but 13lbs is heavy to me . The farthest I carry my Savage is from the case to the bench or mat . :rolleyes: Every time I pick that thing up I think HOLY COW this is heavy . In the next few years I'm going to be doing some hiking and shooting and the thought of bringing that 13lb tank makes my knees buckle just thinking about it . :)
 
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It sure would seem like you added more than 3 pounds to that gun to end up at pounds 13 pounds. Even a straight cylinder 24" barrel only weighs 7.5 pounds, fluting gets it down to 7.25ish. Almost any contour weighs 6.5 or less with flutes. A heavy scope weighs 20 ounces, that 1.25 pounds. The Savage stock weighs 1- 1.25 maybe?

That puts a 24" straight cylinder gun at 9.25 pounds. Almost any barrel contour and the gun's down to 8.25, which means you'd have to add almost 5 pounds to get to 13.

Regardless, no way you'd be adding 3 pounds to a hunting rifle chambered in 7-08. The 20 inch barrel brings it down to 8-8 1/2 pounds even if it's a straight cylinder.

Even a Heavy Palma profile, which is 0.90 inch at the muzzle only makes a 4.1 pound barrel at 20". Your whole gun shouldn't weigh more than 7 1/2 pounds.
 
My stock rifle weighed 8.9lbs from the factory . I then added scope, mounts , anti cant level cheek pad and bipod . All that put my rifle a little over 10lbs . I then filled the butt stock with a mixture of Bondo and BBs that brought it up to that 13lb mark .

Sorry but the pics are not as the rifle sits today . I took them for a review I did . I had not filled the but stock yet and I look the bipod off cus at the time the only case I had would not fit the rifle with the bipod on it .

That 20 Savage precision carbine I linked to above weighs 8lbs from the factory . If I just add the scope , mounts anti cant level , cheek pad and bipod . That rifle will be getting pretty close to 10lbs
 
No No I already had the Savage .
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OK. I didn't catch that. And at 13lbs I would be looking for a lighter gun too. I was surprised at the lack of 7-08 target/varmint rifles offered. The poster "PawPaw" may have the best idea to just build what you want.
 
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